Taming the Princess
by LexusGrey
Summary: Catherine is a princess. Sara is in her father's army. Starts out as Sara/Sam Braun, but the story is Catherine/Sara. Warnings: SM themes. Chapter 3 up! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate each and every message!
1. Chapter 1

"Fall back. Fall back!"

"We can finish this!"

"Fall back! That's an order!"

"You're not my superior!" a female voice rumbled from beneath a steel helmet as she continued to fight her way through the carnage. "And if we fall back now, they follow us in!"

A blow to the ribs made the woman grunt, and she turned, executing a perfect defense that left her opponent on the ground.

"I'm falling back!" the first voice yelled over the din of clashing metal.

"No you're not! Don't be a fucking coward!" the woman yelled back.

There didn't seem to be an end in sight but she'd be damned if she was going to give up. Not a chance.

The battle waged on for hours, but finally the opposition suffered too many losses to continue, and they retreated over the hills.

--

"I'm fine. Worry about the ones who can't tell you that," the dark-haired woman tried to refuse treatment.

"Sara, we have. You're the only one still in your armor. Get it off so I can see the damage."

"It feels like a broken rib," Sara said after she looked around and confirmed that everyone else had indeed been treated. She nodded to the medic's assistants, and they moved forward to begin slowly divesting her of her armor.

When she was down to her underclothes, the doors opened and the king's daughter swept into the room. Sara grabbed the closest sheet to cover herself with, but the princess wasn't even looking.

Catherine took swift and graceful steps toward the medic, her blonde curls bouncing across her shoulders and down her back. Eyes the color of the ocean finally fell on Sara, and the princess's almost-smile turned into a disapproving frown. "I don't know why my father lets you in his army," she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "It's brutish."

Sara was used to this treatment, and responded as she always did. "I fight as well as any man in this Kingdom. Why shouldn't he want me at his defense?"

As always, Albert sensed a storm brewing and winced when Sara omitted the princess's title. "What can I do for you, your Highness?" he asked.

Catherine ignored him, still focused on Sara. "You should be in _my _court if you want to serve in the castle, not dressed as a man, fighting like a man, acting like a man."

"Are you afraid I'll ask your hand in marriage like a man?" Sara taunted, just to rile Catherine up.

The princess bristled at the absurd suggestion and deigned to answer Albert's question instead. Turning to the pleasantly robust man, she held out her hand. "I'd like a poultice, please."

"Of course, your Highness," Albert said with a bow, and set to making one for her.

"What do you need a poultice for, a broken fingernail?" Sara asked.

"Hold your tongue!" Catherine snapped sharply. She snatched the poultice from Albert and strode from the room, slamming the doors behind her.

Albert spun on Sara, taking the sheet away to examine her injuries. "Why do you bait her?"

"Because she deserves it, and because no one else will."

"She's the princess. You could be arrested."

Sara snorted with laughter at that. "The king encurages it. He tells me she's not challenged nearly enough and to do so whenever possible."

Albert shook his finger at her and began his examination. "He does not."

"He d-- aaah, careful on the ribs, Albert!" Her focus was pulled from their argument as the medic palpated her ribcage, sending a shooting arc of pain through her torso.

"Pardon me. You were acting so... brutish, was it? Yes, brutish. So brutish that I figured you could take this like a man," Albert said with obvious sarcasm.

"Very-- ahh-- funny," Sara said with just as much sarcasm. "Was I right? It's broken?"

"Oh yes," Albert replied. "Two of them are cracked. Not badly, but you should rest for a few days at the least. Do I have your word on that or do I need to inform the king of my orders?"

"If you tell the king anything I'll have your head," Sara answered immediately, eyes wide in warning.

"Then I'd better not see you out and about for the next two days," Albert replied seriously.

--

"I'm not in love with you."

"I know..." Sara said, head tilted to the side. Where was Sam going with this?

"You're not in love with me."

"I know..."

"This is more of a business partnership than anything else."

"Yes."

The king turned from the window and walked to the bed, where his wounded mistress lay in her nightgown. "I've asked Lily's hand in marriage."

So that was the reason for the strange conversation. Sara couldn't say she was surprised. She forced a smile for him. True, she wasn't in love with him, but here was the end of something she'd grown quite accustomed to over the past year. "Congratulations, your Highness. You deserve a devoted wife."

"You still don't need to call me 'your Highness', Sara," Sam said quietly, moving onto his knees between his mistress's ankles. He gently eased her legs apart and lifted her nightgown, unsurprised when he found her without underclothes.

Sara sighed and relaxed into him, doing her best to just enjoy him, even though it was probably the last time. She was unconcerned at the pain in her ribs now, though it hurt agonizingly when she thrust her hips up to meet him.

When they had finished, Sam dressed and sat on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped and resting on his knees. "I still expect you to give my daughter hell at every opportunity..."

"With pleasure," Sara replied, though her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm at the prospect of irritating the princess.

"You don't sound pleased," Sam noted.

"I am. My ribs hurt," Sara explained. That wasn't her problem, but it was true nonetheless. "You know I'm always pleased at the thought of tormenting your daughter."

"I wish she'd spend more time in your company. You'd be a good influence."

"Thank you, Sam," Sara said, looking over at him in surprise. They just looked at each other in silence for a few moments before Sara spoke again. "Would you mind bringing me something to wear back to my room? I should get going, and leaving your room in my nightgown would cause quite an uproar, I'm sure."

"Of course," Sam nodded, wishing things could be different for them. He found some clean clothes for Sara and she dressed and left him with a kiss.

--

The next afternoon, Sara was sitting in the courtyard reading a book of poetry when her sunlight was suddenly blocked. She glanced up to see Catherine looking smug.

"I don't know why you're still living here now that my father won't have you anymore. Isn't it just unbearable to see him with my mother?"

The little tart... Sara was not going to rise to the bait. Her jaw worked a few times before she finally just said, "I'm happy for him. He deserves a good wife."

"Well it's a good thing he didn't ask you to marry him then, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sara agreed, refusing to engage Catherine this morning. She was still dealing with the change her life was taking.

"He never would have asked you."

"Did you come all the way out here just to provoke me, or were you just passing through and couldn't resist?" Sara asked, and then turned her attention back to her book.

"I'm royalty, unlike yourself, which means you do not have the liberty to ignore me," Catherine proclaimed, grabbing Sara's book and snapping it shut.

Sara made a quick lunge for the book but stopped at the sharp, shooting pain through her ribcage and sat back down with a hiss.

Catherine grinned and dropped the book on the ground at Sara's feet. "That's right, you're injured. You have no business on the battlefield."

"I'm the best in your father's army," sara informed her, leaning down carefully to pick up her book. "You're alive because of me, remember? Or have you chosen to forget? What bothers you more... the fact that I saved your life or the fact that I've been in your father's b ed for the past year instead of your mother?"

Catherine's eyes blazed and she stepped forward, slapping Sara clean across the face.

Sara didn't even flinch, or give Catherine the satisfaction of rubbing her cheek afterward. She just let it sting, and forced a smirk. "Both, then. I see. Run along and play now dear. Your friends are waiting." She nodded toward a group of peasant girls standing a ways off, watching her and the princess.

"They are not my friends," Catherine said with narrowed eyes.

"Of course not. You would never stoop so low as to get to know anyone that's not just like you. Which is why you spend your time alone or taunting me. Because there's no one in this Kingdom as spoiled rotten as you are."

Catherine's cheeks flushed bright red and she turned and walked away, and normally Sara would have gotten a wicked thrill, but today she was just glad that the princess was leaving. She didn't feel like bickering at the moment - she might end up hitting Catherine and she didn't know if that would be sanctioned by the king.

--

The wedding was beautiful and Sara sat in the front. Though it was reserved for family only, Sam had wanted her there, and she had wanted to be there. She gave Lily her blessing, and her assurance that she and Sam had indeed cut things off upon announcement of the engagement.

Things actually hadn't changed for Sara as much as she'd been afraid they would. She still retained all the privileges of being the king's mistress even though they no longer slept together. She still ranked as high in his army as she had before, she kept her living accommodations which were exponentially nicer than that of the common soldier. She was still allowed access to any part of the castle she wished, and she still dined with the family.

The only real difference was nights spent alone instead of in the king's company. That did take some getting used to, but the adjustment happened fairly quickly.

During the reception, Catherine walked over to whisper in Sara's ear. "They all know," she said smugly.

"Be quiet, we're at a wedding," Sara shot back.

Catherine frowned, not having expected that response. "You don't want to know what it is that they all know?"

"No," Sara answered. "By the way, there was an exemplary young gentleman trying to catch your attention, but when he realized you were so interested in *me*, he found another woman to dance with."

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "If my father heard the way you speak to me..."

Sara laughed. "He encourages it, little Princess. Where do you think I get half of my ammunition?"

The princess's narrowed eyes narrowed even further, to two ice-blue slits. "Not anymore, now that he's kicked you out of his bed."

Sara chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "You're so childish. Leave me now, I'd like to enjoy the celebration."

In an even more childish move, Catherine stepped forward and shoved Sara, hard, sending her sprawling backwards on her ass.

Sara had just about had *enough*, and she was about to teach Catherine a lesson, but thankfully Sam stepped in, helping Sara to her feet and scolding his daughter.

"Catherine! You will not behave in such a manner at my wedding! Apologize this instant."

Catherine refused to apologize, and turned away instead, walking back toward the castle.

Sara had never seen Sam look so angry with his daughter. "It's all right, I'm quite used to it," she said with a laugh, dusting off the back of her pants. "She's done worse."

"Why haven't you dealt with it?"

"Because I'm not her mother. I don't have the authority, Sam."

"Well as of now you do. By order of the king, you need not put up with such rubbish from my daughter. Now please go handle the problem, I do not wish to have to leave my own wedding to deal with her."

Sara nodded, throwing in a small bow since they were in public, and then set off slowly after Catherine. She stopped halfway back to the castle when nature called, and the princess was out of sight when she resumed the journey. She was in a little bit of disbelief at having been given permission to strike the king's daughter. It wasn't a bad sort of disbelief, however. Quite the opposite. She'd show Catherine not to mess with her, finally.

Screams in the distance perked her ears and unsettled her stomach, and she broke into a run back toward the castle.

She was too late. Several soldiers lay in the entrance to the courtyard, pierced by arrows. Several more were scattered around the courtyard itself, and the princess was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" she asked Sir Nicholas, who was kneeling beside a fallen comrade, whispering something Sara couldn't hear.

"They took the princess, we couldn't stop them," Sir Nicholas said, stone-faced as he stood up.

"Who?"

"We don't know. We've never seen the likes of them before. Shall I ride to inform the king?"

"Yes. I'll start tracking their trail."

"You'll need a hundred men," Nicholas said, shaking his head.

"You obviously don't realize how angry I am," Sara said with a sneer. "All I'll need is my bare hands if they've hurt a hair on her head." At his curious look, she quickly added, "that's *my* job."

Nick chuckled knowingly - the entire order was aware of Sara's strained, often volatile relationship with the princess. "Good luck. I'm sure the king will send reinforcements anyway, when I reach him."

Sara nodded and hurried off to get into her armor and outfit her horse.

--

The trail was easy to pick up, but the tracks showed incredibly fast movement that Sara was hard-pressed to keep up with. Her ribs had almost healed, but still gave her a bit of trouble when she rode. And right now, riding was the only option if she wanted to catch up with whoever took Catherine.

She rode hard, stopping only if she had to get down and look for the trail, and it soon became apparent that she was headed for the neighboring kingdom to the east, with whom they had always been on good terms. What made them change their minds? What made them attack the castle and kidnap the princess? Perhaps it was a rogue army and not the monarchy. That suited her better, but then again, with rogues came an unpredictability that was more dangerous than anything else.

Late into the night, Sara finally spied movement in the distance, and she slowed her horse to a stop and let him graze as she hopped off, thinking it best to go the rest of the way on foot. Much quieter and easier to hide.

As she got closer she confirmed the fact that it was indeed a group of rogues, and they did indeed have Catherine. She was chained to a chair, and Sara chuckled quietly at the makeshift gag in her mouth. She could only *imagine* what Catherine had been saying to the bastards to get them to do that. She stopped laughing when she noticed the blood dripping down the side of the princess's face, and her hands clenched into fists, her heart rate increasing, pulse pounding angrily through her veins. She couldn't possibly take on the whole rebel faction by herself, but if reinforcements didn't follow her soon, she'd have to do something. Maybe she could set up some kind of distraction to pull some of them away, and then deal with the rest and sneak Catherine out of there.

However, when one of the men stepped up to the princess and started fumbling with his pants, Sara realized there was no time for plans. She pulled her weapon and charged him, because she'd rather die than let *that* happen. She ran him through, and was running on pure rage and adrenaline, refusing to let any of them get through her to Catherine.

The fight was over before she even realized the reinforcements had arrived, and neither she nor Catherine were gravely injured. In fact, as she smashed open the chains binding the princess, she noticed that the blood dripping down the side of Catherine's face wasn't hers. She wasn't wounded - she must have wounded someone else or come into contact with someone else's wound and the blood got transferred.

As soon as the chains released her, Catherine stood up and ripped the gag out of her mouth. "What took you so long?" she snapped. "I'm starving."

Sara stared in shock, but then wondered why she'd expected any different. After all, she had saved Catherine's life once before and gotten the same reaction. "We just saved your life," she said, only then realizing that her ribs hurt like hell. The adrenaline must be wearing off.

"Oh please," Catherine rolled her eyes. "They were just about to feed me."

"I saw what they were about to feed you," Sara said darkly, and only her trained eye allowed her to notice the shiver that ran through the princess's body at her words. She was more affected than she let on.

"Just get me home and get me something decent to eat."

"Why don't you ride with Sir Nicholas," Sara suggested. She didn't want to ride all the way back with a whiny, bitchy princess.

"Or I could just take your horse and you can ride with Nick," Catherine volleyed.

"Or, you can get your stubborn ass onto Sir Nicholas's horse before I decide that you're walking back to the castle. It's a day's ride, I can't imagine how long it would take you to walk." And before Catherine had a chance to come back with another witty, scathing retort, Sara turned and walked away, back in the direction of her horse.

Unfortunately, Catherine followed her. "I don't want to ride with Nick," she explained.

Sara stopped about ten feet from her horse and spun around. "You'll do as you're told!" she shouted, but quickly realized that it was too late, that Nicholas and the others had already taken off at a run back toward the castle. They were alone, and her only option was to allow Catherine to ride with her. She laboriously stripped out of her armor and placed it into the saddlebags, leaving her in an undershirt and a pair of pants. Then they were off.

--

About three hours into the ride, Sara stopped to let their horse rest and get some water from a small brook off the main path. There were some berry bushes, so she gathered two handfuls and brought them to Catherine, who was seated against a tree with her eyes closed. For once, the blonde just took the offered assistance without comment. Sara supposed she was too hungry to argue. She went back and got herself some berries, and two more handfuls for Catherine after that. They both drank some water, Catherine washed the blood from her head, and then they got back on the road.

Not ten minutes later, Catherine started to squirm around in the saddle. "What?" Sara asked, turning her head to look at the princess.

"I'm tired of riding."

"Would you prefer to walk?"

"I'd prefer a cart so I could get some sleep," the cranky blonde retorted.

"Stop complaining. I'm uncomfortable too, but it is what it is," Sara said practically. "There's nothing we can do about it right now, and whining isn't going to help."

"You're just upset that you haven't been *serviced* in over a week."

"I could say the same for you. I doubt you've been *serviced* in your lifetime. No one would put up with your attitude."

"It's not an attitude. I just don't like you," Catherine said smugly. "When are you moving out of the castle?"

"I'm not."

"My father's going to get tired of having you around soon enough. You might as well start packing."

"Your father and I are friends, Catherine. I don't know what I did to make you dislike me so much... Your father was not with your mother at the time we began to share a bed."

"No, he wasn't, because of people like you," Catherine said icily. "Throwing yourself at him so you could be Queen someday. Too bad he never saw you as anything more than a cheap whore."

"Is that what you think? I never wanted to be Queen," Sara said with a frown. "I still don't. I'd hate it. But I'm sure you'll make a great one someday."

"And now you're kissing my ass, because you aren't good enough to kiss my father's anymore," Catherine laughed. "Just shut up."

Now that was *it*. Sara stopped the horse and slid off, hauling Catherine down after her. She dragged the princess a short way into the woods and sat on a fallen tree, placing the struggling blonde across her lap and lifting her dress. She threw one leg over Catherine's to stop her kicking, and wrapped her left arm around the princess's midsection to stop her squirming away. And she proceeded to teach her a lesson she wouldn't soon forget.

"Stop it! Stop it! Let GO of me!" Catherine growled, pounding her fists against any part of Sara she could reach. "My father is going to hear about this as soon as we get back!"

Sara ignored the punches, focusing instead on getting her point across through Catherine's reddening backside. "I don't know what I've done to make you hate me so strongly, but even if I have done something, the way you treat me is completely unacceptable and it stops here and now, do you understand me?"

"Let me UP!" was Catherine's reply, her struggles increasing, the punches starting to bruise Sara's arm and side. She spied a small branch on the ground and leaned over to pick it up, lowering the blonde's undergarments and swishing it across Catherine's behind with a flick of her wrist.

The princess screamed, and immediately stopped struggling and punching Sara. But the switch landed again anyway. Sara wasn't finished. "Every time you say something negative about me, it hurts. I don't know why I care, but I do. I'm tired of being hurt by you, Catherine, and I won't stand for it anymore. Not ever again, is that clear?" The switch fell several more times, welts rising in parallel lines over Catherine's creamy white skin.

"Yes, YES!" the princess cried, in tears now, laying limply across Sara's lap. The fight had left her.

"You owe me about a thousand apologies," Sara continued, swishing the branch several more times, sending Catherine into a round of more anguished tears.

"I'm sorry!" Catherine cried, clutching Sara's waist tightly. "I'm sorry! A thousand times I'm sorry!" she bawled.

Sara finally put the switch down and gave Catherine a few more spanks with her hand for good measure, only briefly enjoying the feel of having her hand on the princess's bare behind. "It ends here, Catherine, I mean it," she warned, though she had a feeling the princess knew she was serious, and would be reminded of that fact every time she sat down for the next few days. Not to mention the rest of the ride back to the castle.

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry!" Catherine said hoarsely, the tears still falling, still holding tight to Sara's waist. "Please, no more... I'll be good, Sara..."

"I hope so, because I'm sick of this. I don't deserve it. I'm a person, with feelings, just like everyone else, and when you constantly tell me what a failure I am, I start to wonder if maybe it's true. And even though we're not friends, it still breaks my heart to be ridiculed every single day. I'm not a failure, Catherine, and I'm done allowing you to make me feel like one. Now get up and sort yourself out. I need a minute alone, and then we'll get going again." She released her hold on the princess and watched as she scrambled to her feet and pulled up her undergarments, with a pained wince as they settled over her backside.

--

Sara knew Catherine had cried a few more times on the way back, mostly when the horse was slowing from a run or building up to one - the trotting had to be hell on her behind. She had a brief pang of guilt each time, but mostly it just felt good. It had been a long time coming, and Catherine had deserved it, for all the awful things she'd said and done over the past year or two.

As the castle came into view, Sara felt tentative hands on her waist and a forehead against her back. "Thank you. For saving me from those men. I know what they were going to do... so... thank you, Sara."

Stunned beyond belief, Sara could only nod. "You're welcome. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." When they reached the castle and the drawbridge began to lower, she spoke again. "Shall I take you straight to your father? I believe you said you wished to report my actions as soon as we got back."

Catherine was quiet for a few seconds, and Sara quirked an eyebrow, wondering if she was being ignored or if Catherine was thinking, and she was about to ask again when the princess spoke. "I'd rather visit Sir Albert, if you don't mind."

Sara didn't even have to turn around to know Catherine was blushing - her tone of voice said that clear enough. "And what if I do mind? You earned every one of those licks, Catherine."

A long, slow breath was let out behind her and then Catherine said quietly, "yes Ma'am."

Sara nearly fell off the horse. And was it wrong that hearing that sent a shiver of excitement through her body? Yes, it was probably very wrong. "Where else would you like to go?"

"My room, please."

Wow. Please and thank-you and Ma'am... who would've thought? She should have given Catherine a switching long ago.

They rode through the inner courtyard to many cheers and much applause, and Sara stopped the horse as close to Catherine's room as they could get. Catherine hopped down and stared up at Sara for a brief moment before she gave her a curtsey and disappeared up a set of stone stairs.

Still in a bit of shock, or at the very least, extreme surprise, Sara rode to the stables and dismounted, leaving her horse with the stablehand, and then headed to see Albert. She was a bit banged up, had a few scrapes that needed cleaning, but all in all she was pretty well off considering she'd just been in a battle with rogue troops. Not a huge battle, but still a battle, and she was barely scratched.

Albert was just fussing over her and making her take her pants off when the princess wandered through the door, and Sara yanked her pants back up like they were on fire, and then gave Catherine a questioning look.

Catherine blushed and looked away until Sara was properly dressed, and then held up her hand for the brunette to see. "I cut myself, that's all."

The fact that the princess was explaining herself to her made Sara swell with... something. Not pride, really, or ego, just... warmth. And suddenly she wanted to see her handywork, and wouldn't mind Albert and his assistants seeing it either. She motioned Catherine closer and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "I changed my mind, if you want to see Sir Albert about your backside."

Catherine's face flushed subtly, and Sara resisted the urge to kiss her cheek as she pulled back. At the slight nod from the blonde, she grinned and settled back on her elbows on the cot.

"Albert, I can wait. Take care of the princess first." Not that he would have planned on doing otherwise.

"You cut yourself, let me see, your Highness," Albert said, taking her hand and examining it. "Not very deep, I'll just need to clean it and wrap it in a small bandage."

"There is something else," Catherine said quietly, once he was finished bandaging her hand. She had changed from her wedding attire to a pale pink satin nightgown, and Sara saw her draw a slow breath before she turned around and climbed onto an empty cot, laying on her stomach. "If you just... lift my nightgown..."

"Your Highness, I cannot do such a thing," Albert protested, eyes wide.

"I'll do it," Sara offered with a cheeky grin, hopping down from her own cot and moving to the princess's side, taking the hem of her gown and raising it far enough to reveal the welts crossing her behind. She laid the material around Catherine's waist as she heard Albert gasp and drop something.

"Your Highness! What happened to you? Did those men..." He didn't finish his sentence, he just let the question trail off into the air.

Sara listened intently, curious as to how Catherine would explain it. An irrationally large part of her wanted the princess to tell him the truth.

"No, it wasn't the men," she whispered, her face turned away from the medic. "Please, just give me some balm to ease the sting."

Sara could hear tears in Catherine's voice, and she sat on the end of the cot beside the princess's head. "Don't question her, Albert, it's clear she doesn't want to discuss it," she said at his furrowed brow, before he had a chance to keep badgering the princess. He was no doubt surprised, as he was used to Sara jumping at the chance to bother the king's daughter, and the look on his face told her as much.

"Of course," Albert said, gathering supplies in a hurry. "This will hurt quite a bit at first, my apologies, your Highness, but it should help in the long run. Would you still like to continue?"

"Yes," Catherine replied, nodding.

Sara was wondering whether Catherine would want her sitting so close, and she was about to get up when the princess's hands found hers and squeezed tightly. She knew Catherine would need something to hold onto, an outlet for the pain, so the gesture didn't mean as much as it might have otherwise. That said, though, she was still touched, and gave a squeeze in return.

Albert spread some balm onto his hands and then carefully placed them on the princess's backside, just as carefully rubbing the cool ointment over the welted skin.

Catherine gasped and gripped Sara's hands tighter. She could feel fingernails digging into her, and watched as the princess shut her eyes, a look of pain on her features as a few tears slid down her cheeks. And for the first time, Sara really allowed herself to feel guilty about what she'd done. She didn't regret it, but seeing the princess in pain like this did send a pang of guilt to her chest. However, she did realize that apart from a good thrashing, there was nothing else she could have done to stop the blonde's constant tormenting.

Suddenly she found Catherine's head in her lap, and her eyes sprung open wide as she looked to Albert for help. How had the princess's head ended up in her lap? She thought it must have been an accident, but Catherine was clinging to her and shaking lightly as she cried.

Albert was done applying the balm, and Sara gestured politely for him and his assistants to please step out of the room. They all nodded to her and slipped out, closing the door behind them, and once she was alone with the princess, she lifted a hand to run her fingers comfortingly through Catherine's hair. The sight of a disheveled princess in her pink satin nightgown was... well, it was endearing. It made Catherine seem much younger than she really was, and made Sara want to protect her. She very carefully reached over to lower Catherine's nightgown, and then returned her hand to the silky blonde hair that was beginning to feel exquisite against her fingertips. She hadn't imagined such a feisty woman would have such soft hair, but it suited the princess nicely.

After sitting together quietly for several long minutes, Sara spoke. "Would you like an escort back to your room?"

"No no," Catherine said quickly, shaking her head and sliding off the cot to stand up. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine."

Sara cocked an eyebrow as she watched Catherine hurry from the room, curious as to what the princess was thinking about. But, so far so good, because if she'd asked that question a day before, she would have no doubt received a poisonous reply instead of a 'no thank-you'.

As Catherine left, Albert came back in and commanded her out of her clothes for an examination and treatment. She reluctantly removed her pants and shirt, keeping her undergarments intact. She had no injuries beneath those.

"What did I just witness between yourself and the princess?" he asked as he set about gently palpating her healing ribcage.

"An olive branch, of sorts," Sara replied, grimacing at the touch, even light as it was, it hurt.

"You did that to her backside, didn't you?" Albert clearly disapproved, as indicated by his tone of voice and the frown on his face.

"If she wants you to know that, she'll tell you," Sara said in a clipped tone.

"I disapprove," Albert said gruffly, shuffling over to his cleaning supplies and bringing a few back to clean the cuts on her arms and legs.

"Your approval isn't necessary," Sara reminded him. "And you have no idea how much she deserved that."

"There you go acting brutish again," Albert said, shaking his head as he cleaned her wounds and bandaged up the few bigger ones. "Your ribs are almost healed, just take it easy for a few more days and they should be fine."

Sara nodded and put her clothes back on, then left without another word. She really didn't care whether Albert approved or not. She'd done what she needed to do, and even Catherine herself didn't seem like she disapproved.

Upon reaching her room, Sara went straight to bed, not even bothering to change her clothes as she sank down onto the soft mattress and closed her eyes. She was exhausted - the last few days had been rough.

--

Nightmares woke Sara in the middle of the night, and she sat up in bed, gasping for breath, her whole body covered in sweat. She couldn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, only that it had been something terrifying. She got out of bed and quickly made up a cool bath, stripping naked and climbing into the tub with a sigh, sinking down into the water and enjoying the feeling of relaxation it brought.

She lay staring at the ceiling, trying to remember what her dreams had been about. Her parents, maybe? Her childhood in general? Losing Sam, failing in battle, something happening to Catherine again?

*Catherine*. Things were more complicated now that they were in calm waters. Because now there were feelings involved, and with feelings comes responsibility and protectiveness and-- yeah, she'd better just get out of the bath and go check on the princess. Make sure she was all right. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't think she'd be able to fall back asleep unless she checked on Catherine first. She just had a *feeling*.

Climbing out of the water, she pulled on a nightgown and headed out of her room, making the short walk to the princess's. She had never been inside Catherine's room before, she'd never had cause to. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go in tonight, either... she could just knock quietly and check in through the door. But she had to check in. She lifted her hand and knocked, loud enough to be heard if Catherine was awake, but not loud enough to wake her if she was asleep. There was no answer, so she tried once more and then let herself quietly into the room.

The sight before her made her melt. Catherine had changed out of her satin nightgown and was wearing fuzzy pink pajama pants and matching camisole, sleeping on her stomach, clutching a stuffed animal. It was just... precious, and it took her breath away. She stood staring for a minute or two before she realized that's what she was doing, and then let her eyes wander briefly around the room, appreciating the princess's taste in decorating. There were drawings framed and hung upon the walls, several sconces with unlit candles flanking each one, and the stone floor was partially covered by a large plush white rug in the center of the room. It was simple, but tasteful, and it felt... comfortable. She didn't want to linger too long though, now that she'd assured herself that Catherine was all right, so she slipped back out of the room, closing the door behind her and returning to her own quarters.

She took off her nightgown and got back into bed, properly this time, beneath the blankets, and sighed as the cool sheets came into contact with her naked body. She loved the way that felt.

She was almost asleep when she heard a knock on her door, and raising an eyebrow she called out, "come in..."

The princess walked in, still wearing the pink fuzzy pajama outfit and holding her stuffed animal, a sleepy, pouty expression on her face. "You woke me up when you left, and I can't get back to sleep," she said a bit grumpily as she closed the door. Stepping further into the room, she looked around and then at Sara. "What were you doing?"

Sara fought hard to keep herself from blushing, even though Catherine probably wouldn't be able to tell in the dim light that filtered in through the windows. "I had a strange feeling, so I checked to make sure you were all right."

Catherine walked closer and stopped at the foot of the bed, both of her arms wrapped around her teddy bear as she stared over its head at Sara, quite clearly pouting now. "I was fine until you spanked me like a child and then woke me up," she said with a slight whine, climbing onto the bed beside Sara and stretching out on her stomach.

"Hang on," Sara tried to say, but Catherine was laying on her bed before she could finish. "Close your eyes a minute, I'll get dressed." She waited until Catherine complied, and then quickly got out of bed and pulled her nightgown on. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"But you're not sorry you spanked me?"

"No." Catherine's eyes were still closed, so she offered, "you can open now, I'm dressed."

Catherine opened those baby blue eyes and stared at Sara curiously. "You weren't afraid to touch me."

"No, I wasn't. I had your father's permission, and I was tired of being belittled all day long." This was a very strange conversation, and Sara wasn't quite sure where Catherine was trying to go with it.

"And you're not sorry?"

"No, I'm not sorry," Sara repeated, still standing beside the bed, looking down at Catherine.

The princess nodded and rested her head on folded arms. "Just checking."

"Do you think I should be sorry?"

Her question was met with silence, a long stretch of it, and then Catherine said simply, "no."

Sara had expected a yes, maybe even a hell yes, but the princess's answer just went to show how much of an impact the spanking had had on her. "We agree then. And you should know that if the attitude returns, I will not hesitate to turn you over my knee again," she said, her voice taking on a firmer tone.

Again Catherine was quiet for a long time before she answered. "I know."

Sara nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'd like to try to sleep now."

Catherine nodded as well. "Good night," she said quietly.

Sara actually blinked, turning her head to look over her shoulder at the princess. "You can't possibly be planning to sleep here..."

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm comfortable."

"Well I'm glad that you're comfortable, but I'm not."

"So you're kicking me out of your room?"

"I prefer to see it as maintaining appropriate standards, but you're free to see it as you wish, of course."

"Since when is taking a switch to the princess's backside 'appropriate standards'?"

Sara sighed. Catherine had her there. "Catherine, you just cannot sleep in here."

"But I want to."

"We don't always get everything we want," Sara said with a slight frown.

Apparently Catherine decided to turn on the childish charm, because she turned onto her side facing Sara, looking at her with big blue eyes. "Please? You said you had a strange feeling, and now I don't want to be alone."

How was she supposed to say no to that? This was definitely a complicated development in their relationship. Catherine had never tried to manipulate her before. Anger her, yes, but never manipulate her. "Are you really afraid, or do you just want to get your way?" she asked, after regarding the princess in silence for several seconds.

"Mostly I just want to get my way," Catherine said with a sigh. "But now that I've got the seed planted, I'm starting to get a little afraid."

"All right, fine," Sara grumbled, pulling one of the blankets off the bed and making a pallet for herself on the rug in front of the fireplace.

Catherine didn't say anything else, and when Sara glanced over at her several minutes later, the blonde's eyes were closed and her breathing appeared to have evened into sleep. She looked so peaceful, Sara had to smile. She shook her head at herself as she stretched out on her side, and tried to fall asleep as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara woke the next morning with a long, luxurious stretch, her muscles aching a bit from sleeping on the floor. She glanced toward her bed to find Catherine still asleep, still on her stomach, still looking precious.

After allowing herself to watch Catherine sleep for a few minutes, Sara got up and went to the washroom to clean up. When she returned, the princess was on her side, and those smoky blue eyes were watching her walk back into the room with an expression Sara couldn't read. "Good morning," she said quietly. "You slept well, I hope?"

Catherine nodded and stretched, her mouth slowly opening into a yawn as she rolled to her stomach again and slid her legs off the bed to stand up. "I should go dress for breakfast."

Sara smiled and agreed. "I need to get changed too."

"Right, well, I'll see you in the dining room," Catherine said, hesitating on her way to the door. "Thank you, for letting me stay here. I don't think I would have been able to sleep in my own room last night."

"You're welcome," Sara replied, and after hesitating a bit herself, she added, "my door is always open if you need anything. You know that, right?"

"I do. I also know that you would never let anything happen to me if you could help it... you've saved my life twice now, even though I was horrible to you both times. You're a good person, Sara." Another pause, and then the princess lowered her head to stare at the floor. "I'm sorry I said you weren't good enough for my father. I know he loves you very much, even though the two of you were never *in* love."

"Thank you, Catherine. I love him very much too... now go get changed before you make me blush." She was not used to compliments from the princess, and while she was incredibly glad not to be enduring insults anymore, the compliments were a bit awkward.

Catherine laughed and picked her head up, giving Sara a curious look, and then turned and walked out the door.

--

At breakfast a bit later that morning, Sam leaned over and whispered in Sara's ear, "so you finally took care of my daughter's attitude problem?"

Sara choked on her biscuit, sending pieces flying back onto her plate, which she hastily cleaned into her napkin as soon as she'd stopped coughing. A long drink of water followed, and then she whispered back, "yes, I did." It wasn't that she didn't want the king to know, because that was not an issue for her. She was just surprised that Catherine had told him after saying she wasn't going to.

Apparently Sam sensed her confusion because he chuckled and replied quietly. "She didn't tell me. I noticed her discomfort and asked her what happened, and she said it didn't matter because it didn't hurt anyway."

She'd paused eating, which was a good thing because she might likely have choked again. "Didn't hurt?"

"She was just embarrassed, I'm sure it hurt plenty, with your strength and precision."

Well, that was an interesting compliment. She nodded in acknowledgement and then finished her breakfast.

At the end of the meal, Sara approached the princess, who was just getting up from her chair. "Catherine, a word please."

Catherine nodded and moved to one side of the room with her. "Yes?"

"It has just been brought to my attention that your punishment yesterday did not hurt." She watched as blue eyes went wide. "Perhaps we should re-visit the woods."

"No!" the princess said quickly, her voice panicked, her hands automatically going behind her.

"But if it didn't hurt..."

"It did hurt! It hurt so much..."

"Then why did you tell your father it didn't?"

Catherine turned bright red, which Sara found adorable. "Because I was embarrassed."

"And you think I was not embarrassed when you slapped me in the courtyard or pushed me at your father's wedding?"

"I'm not-- I didn't think about it," the blonde admitted.

"Turn around," Sara said with a little twirl of her finger.

To her surprise, Catherine started to cry, and threw her arms around her. "No, please, please! I'm sorry! Please, it hurts so much, I can't take another..."

Sara took her by the shoulders and firmly placed her at arm's length. "Then you march right over to your father and apologize for lying to him."

The princess looked like she really didn't want to do that, but Sara supposed the alternative was even less appealing because Catherine turned and went to her father, waiting patiently for him to finish a conversation with Sir Nicholas.

Sara followed and stood beside Catherine, not intending to just take her word for whether she apologized or not. Nick bowed to Sam, and gave a little bow to Catherine and Sara as well before making his exit.

The king turned to his girls with a smile. "What can I do for you ladies?"

"Daddy, I'm sorry I lied to you," Catherine said immediately.

"You lied to me? About what, may I ask?"

Sara watched the princess struggle and blush, and was about to nudge her when a rushed answer was given.

"About the whipping. Sara disciplined me and it did hurt."

"I see," Sam said thoughtfully, though Sara knew he already knew that. "And why did she have cause to discipline my precious little girl?"

"You just assume she had cause?" Catherine asked defensively.

Sara's mouth fell open slightly and she turned to look at Catherine, clearly in disbelief. "Don't you dare try t--"

"Wait, I'm sorry," Catherine said hurriedly. "She had cause to discipline me because I was behaving badly. I was saying awful, hurtful things to her and she was tired of it."

"I assume you will not continue to say awful, hurtful things to her?" Sam asked.

"I will not," Catherine confirmed, shaking her head slightly for emphasis.

"Good," the king grinned. "Then we all agree the matter is resolved?"

"Quite," Sara nodded.

"Yes," Catherine said quietly.

Sam pulled both of them into a brief hug, kissing the top of Catherine's head before he released them both and excused himself to return to his wife.

Sara turned to head back to her room, but was stopped by the princess's voice.

"Sara?"

"Yes?"

"I thought I'd go for a walk."

Why was she being informed of this decision? "Are you seeking my approval?" she asked, sure her confusion was showing on her face.

"No," Catherine laughed softly. "I just thought you might provide protection?"

"Protection from what?" Sara asked. "You're not planning to go outside the perimeter, are you?"

"I wanted to go for a swim in the river. And with the other day's ambush in mind, I don't think I should go alone, do you?"

"No, no I don't," Sara agreed. "All right, get your things and I'll accompany you."

--

"Are you ready to head back yet?" Sara called into the water from her perch on the bank.

"Why won't you swim with me?"

"I don't like swimming."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

Catherine sighed and swam over, and when she stepped out of the water, Sara couldn't help but notice the gleam of the sunlight on the princess's long, golden hair, and how beautiful it looked. She tried *not* to notice the way her soaking wet underclothes hugged her body and dripped water down her arms and legs. As Catherine got closer, she realized the princess was smirking at her. "Do you like what you see?"

Sara rolled her eyes, and though she did very much like what she saw, she played it off as a joke. "Don't be ridiculous. Come on, get dried off and put your shoes on. And keep that towel wrapped around yourself, you don't need to be giving the entire kingdom a view of their princess in wet underclothes."

"Oh, I see... that view is reserved for you alone?" Catherine teased quietly, one eyebrow lifting as she set about drying her hair with the towel.

Sara had two choices, and the choice involving a blush was not her favorite, so again she played it off. "You bet your little ass it is. The bodyguard gets to see everything."

"Everything?" Catherine echoed, turning the word into a question, one corner of her mouth curling into a wicked little smirk. She draped her towel around her shoulders and hooked her thumbs into her knickers, starting to inch them down, but Sara put a stop to that immediately.

"That's enough, now wrap yourself in the towel and put your shoes on before--"

She stopped talking as she heard angry voices approaching fast - someone on horseback. Without bothering to give Catherine a chance to hide quickly, since the princess did not seem to want to move fast this morning, Sara threw an arm around her waist and dragged her behind the nearest bush, clamping a hand over her mouth when she felt a protest coming on.

"Shh, someone's coming," she whispered, her lips against Catherine's ear. "They're too far away to recognize the voices, but they're coming up fast, so be quiet... we can't afford to let them know we're here until we know who they are."

Catherine shivered in her arms, the princess's head falling forward, her breathing becoming a little erratic. Sara thought it was from fear until she felt lips press against her palm, and she froze, realizing it was from something much scarier than fear. She pulled her hand away from Catherine's mouth and pretended she hadn't noticed, though her heart was suddenly racing and her head was spinning. She had to stay focused... they could be in danger.

The riders came to a stop at the edge of the river, about ten yards off, and Sara listened hard, ignoring the pounding in her veins.

"Someone just tried it the other day, and they all ended up dead," one voice said clearly.

"Just the other day, that's exactly my point. They won't expect anything again so soon."

"What do you want with the princess, anyway?"

"Are you joking me? Have you seen her? I want her for my wife."

"What? She'd never marry someone the likes of you!" the first man said incredulously.

"She won't have a choice!" the other man replied, full of self-confidence. "You just keep the way clear for me tonight."

There was a short pause, and then the first man said, with some trepidation, "no."

"Pardon?"

"I said no."

"If you value your life, you'll do as I tell you," the second man said darkly.

"She is like family to me. I've looked after her since she was a child. I will not betray her or her father, no matter the threat you put on my life."

Sara was ready to defend this man if need be, and she whispered into Catherine's ear, "who is that?"

"Rodrigo... he's been in my father's army for two decades... I don't know the other man's voice," Catherine whispered back.

Sara knew Rodrigo, and now that Catherine put a name to him, she realized she did recognize his voice. She was not about to let him be threatened, and she warned Catherine firmly to stay put, then pulled a pair of daggers from her boots and stood up, stepping out from behind the bush. The second man was just unsheathing his sword, and Rodrigo his, but before either could fully draw, she took aim and sent one of her knives straight into the second man's sword arm, rendering him unable to fight.

"Sara," Rodrigo said in surprise, as she rushed forward and dragged the second man from his horse, laying him on the ground and placing her boot across his throat.

"You are lucky to be alive," she growled at him, applying enough pressure to make him gasp for air. "Who are you?"

"E-Edwin Manford," he stammered, and took a gulping breath when she removed her boot from his neck.

"Well, Edwin Manford, you'll be spending the rest of your days rotting in the dungeon for even thinking about touching the princess." She reached down, took the knife from his arm, and hauled him to his feet, removing his horse's reins and using them to bind his arms to his body. She then picked him up and draped him over the back of Rodrigo's saddle. "Take him to the king."

Rodrigo bowed his head and took off at a gallop toward the castle. Once they were alone again, Sara returned to Catherine's side and wiped the blood from her knife onto the grass.

"That was exciting," Catherine exclaimed in a droll voice, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Excitement is more trouble than it's worth," Sara replied. "You shouldn't seek it out."

"I don't need to, it seems to have no problem finding me on its own."

Sara chuckled and sheathed her daggers. "Come on, let's get back. Do you want to ride Edwin's hors--"

"No," Catherine interrupted. "Someone gave me the whipping of my life yesterday and I can't possibly sit on a horse, thank you very much."

Sara held back a laugh, biting her lower lip, and rallied, "are you sure? Because you seem undecided."

Catherine stuck her tongue out and turned to walk away, but changed her mind and turned back looking rather mischievous. "I'll tell you what. If you kiss every single welt you left, then I'll ride the horse back with you."

"Very funny," Sara replied dryly. "Get your shoes on."

"What makes you think I'm not serious?" Catherine asked, slipping into her sandals.

Sara's heart skipped a beat and for a split second she considered calling what she was sure was the princess's bluff. But she quickly decided against it and shook her head. "The fact that, if you're serious, and actually even if you're not, it is incredibly inappropriate for you to suggest such a thing to anyone, let alone a female that only recently stopped sharing a bed with your father."

Catherine's mischievous expression faded into unguarded anger, and she snatched her towel from the ground where it had been discarded, wrapping it around herself as she snapped venomously, "do you have to remind me of that every five minutes? I know you were sleeping with my father, I don't need you to keep telling me!" Her eyes flashed angrily and she spun away from Sara, walking to Edwin's horse. "On second thought, I will take the horse, and you can walk!" She stood up in the stirrups, and Sara would have worried about that, but she knew Catherine had had enough experience on a horse to do so safely, and she'd ridden without reins plenty of times as well. She watched as the spoiled little princess rode off back towards the castle, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or scream. So she just shook her head and started walking.

--

Sara wanted to talk to Catherine, to try and find out exactly what had bothered her so much about the reference to her relationship with Sam, but first she needed to sort things out about Edwin. She needed more information from him, and she needed to talk to Sam about him. She decided to see Sam first, and visited his room, entering with permission and taking a seat. Lily was having a cup of tea by the window, Sam was slowly pacing, and Rodrigo was seated at the strategy table where Sara also sat. She was glad to see he had gone to the king immediately.

"First off, your Highness, I'd like to tell you that Rodrigo put his life on the line, refusing to betray you or the princess." She swore she saw Rodrigo blush, and she fought a grin as she continued. "Secondly, have either of you questioned the prisoner? I want information from him."

Sam turned to Rodrigo and bowed his head. "Thank you, Rodrigo. Your loyalty will never be taken for granted." Then he turned to Sara and answered her question. "Yes, and I believe we have obtained everything we need to know. He was working alone, hoping to bribe or threaten one of my men into helping him force my daughter's hand in marriage. He seems to be operating just short of full capacity." He paused, and then smiled softly. "I want to thank you both for protecting my daughter. I would not trust her safety to anyone more than either of you."

Sara stood and bowed to him. "Thank you," she said as she stood back up and moved to the door. "I need to speak with Catherine, please excuse me."

"Of course," Sam nodded, and at that she left his room to go to Catherine's.

Her first knock resulted in silence, and her second was met with 'leave me alone!' through the closed door. So, naturally, she let herself in and closed the door behind her. Catherine must have expected this because she didn't protest, she just remained on her bed with a sulky expression.

Sara walked over and sat down, folding her hands in her lap, sitting quietly for several minutes before she spoke. "I'd like to know what it is, exactly, about my reference to Sam, that made you so angry."

"How would you feel if I kept referring to the fact that I slapped you in the courtyard?" Catherine snapped.

Hmm... so her having slept with Sam was somehow hurtful to Catherine. The possibility that the princess was jealous crossed her mind, but it was just so improbable that she felt forced to dismiss it. "I'd feel annoyed, and most likely a bit hurt." She paused, and reached a hand out to lay it on Catherine's knee. "I wasn't trying to hurt you, Catherine."

"I wasn't hurt. I was *not* hurt," Catherine insisted. "Just get out." When Sara didn't move, she said it again louder, and again, starting to yell. "Get out. Get out!" She sat up and tried to shove Sara off the bed, but Sara grabbed her and forced her onto her back, pinning her down.

She wasn't sure what she planned to do with Catherine now that she had her pinned to the bed - she hadn't thought past that point. So she just held her there, her grip on the princess's wrists firm, pressing them down into the mattress.

Catherine gasped, too shocked to struggle against the hold, and just stared up at her. She could see the muscles in her throat constrict as the blonde swallowed hard. "Let-- let me go." The protest was weak at best.

"Tell me why it hurt you," Sara countered.

"I told you I wasn't hurt!" Catherine suddenly screamed in a rage, all traces of shock now gone as she struggled for all she was worth.

Sara let go of her as soon as she started to struggle, because it seemed more like panic than anything else.

As soon as the princess was free, she sprung to her feet and slapped Sara with enough force to turn her head. "Don't you ever restrain me like that again!" she shouted. "You have no right!"

Sara took a deep breath and counted to ten before turning back toward Catherine, so she wouldn't deck her. All of her anger faded as soon as she saw the tears streaming down Catherine's face. "You're right," she said softly. "I'm sorry." She stood up and stepped closer, and the princess stepped away. So she stepped closer again, her voice gentler than she'd ever used with this particular woman. "Please, tell me why you're so angry..."

"It's not obvious to you?" Catherine screamed. "Sometimes you can be so *stupid*!"

Now what on earth was that supposed to mean? Sara knew she wasn't the best at reading people in a social manner, but she felt that 'stupid' was going a bit far. "So... you're jealous." That had to be what Catherine meant. There was nothing else that could be considered obvious.

"Yes, I'm jealous."

"Because you wanted your father's attention... or because you want to be the only person I ever think about now that we're on civil terms with each other?" Sara asked, suddenly realizing that she had a lot more invested in the answer to that question than she should have. Especially because she hadn't thought Catherine would even admit to being jealous.

Catherine stood in silence for several long, drawn-out seconds, and then dropped her voice very low. "Because I wanted you in my bed, not his," she confessed.

Sara closed her eyes, letting Catherine's words wash over her, even allowing herself to feel hopeful for a moment or two, but as her eyes slid open, reality presented itself and she stepped away from the princess. "We absolutely cannot. I cannot do that to your father, Catherine. I-- and what would--"

Catherine interrupted her harshly. "I know that! Do you think I don't know that? Do you think I haven't been living that since the day I first saw you? Riding into the courtyard covered in blood, carrying my father on your horse... I knew I wanted you right then and there... but I knew you'd want nothing to do with a spoiled princess when you could have the king."

Sara was stunned into silence, just staring open-mouthed at Catherine for what seemed like forever before she could even find her voice to stammer awkwardly, "how-how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care about being a queen? That I wasn't with your father because he was king? That it had nothing to do with his power or his money? Things just happened, they happened Catherine, but I wasn't after anything from him. And you? You're a woman. It's just not done."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Catherine yelled, pointing toward her bedroom door. "Just get out! GET OUT! Please, just go away and leave me alone!"

"Catherine please, it's not that I wouldn't *want* to, I just--"

"I get it," Catherine said, on the verge of full-out panic. "Get out of my room, now. I don't want to see you in here ever again. This is *my* room, my private space, now get out!"

Fighting the unexpected sting of tears, Sara turned and left the room, closing the door behind her, dismayed to find her cheeks wet as she walked down the hall to her own room. Why was she surprised? The only time Catherine had ever been civil to her was in the past day and a half, so why was she suprised that it ended? A day and a half wasn't long enough to get used to something that had just changed after several years. But she wanted it. She wanted a friendship with the princess more than she cared to admit. And as far as taking things further than friendship, well, Catherine was incredibly beautiful and sensual and smart. Sara knew she was lucky to have the princess interested in her that way, but she couldn't do that to Sam.

--

This was bad. She was trying to sleep, but since finding out how the princess felt about her that morning, Sara couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like. How soft Catherine's skin would be. What her lips would taste like. How Catherine would feel beneath her. Sleep was just not going to come tonight if she kept fighting the images her mind was creating. So she finally stopped fighting and gave in, allowing herself to fully imagine the fantasy of being with Catherine. And it was *good*.

--

By the next morning at breakfast, things had gone back to the way they were between her and Catherine. Completely and obviously. Catherine was back to going out of her way to insult Sara at every opportunity, as well as giving her near-constant glares every time they were within sight of each other. Unlike before, however, Sara chose not to engage. She did her best to ignore the barbs and dirty looks, because she knew that deep down, despite her vehement protests to the contrary, Catherine was really hurting.

That night at dinner, Sara was actively ignoring the princess and just enjoying her food, so she was surprised when Sam slammed his fist down on the table and yelled at his daughter. "That's enough! Leave the table!"

As Catherine shoved her chair back and stormed off, Sara turned to Sam. "What happened?"

Sam looked at her sternly. "I thought you took care of the problem."

She thought briefly about asking again what Catherine had said, since she hadn't been listening, but decided she was probably better off not knowing. "I did. But... something happened that set us back." Before he could ask for details, she added, "something I can't discuss, but it has nothing to do with anyone's safety." She hoped that would be enough for him, and apparently it was, because he just nodded and went back to his food.

--

The days went on, and Sara was finding it increasingly difficult to continue to ignore Catherine's venomous remarks. They were getting worse and worse, designed to play on her every nerve. After a particularly harrowing insult one evening, Sara retreated to a forest clearing to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. She needed to clear her head. And be alone. She didn't have nearly enough time alone this past week, as they were preparing for a possible conflict with a neighboring land to the north. Most of her waking hours were spent training new soldiers or assisting the blacksmith in forging new weapons and armor. It was tiring to say the least, and with Catherine constantly trying to pick a fight with her, it was exhausting.

Catherine chose that moment to make her presence known, stepping into the clearing with a swish of her dress.

Sara looked up and frowned, unsettled by how beautiful Catherine looked in the rays of moonlight that filtered down through the trees. "Catherine, you need to leave."

"Or what? You'll ignore me?" the princess asked, clearly annoyed. "Or no wait, even better, you'll spank me again?" She rolled her eyes and sat next to Sara on a fallen tree trunk.

"You think I won't?" Sara countered, raising an eyebrow.

"You would've done it already if you still had the guts," Catherine said dismissively.

Far too late, Sara realized she'd played right into Catherine's hand, engaging her in a potentially confrontational conversation. "I'm trying to take it easy on you," she finally said quietly. "I know I hurt you, even though I didn't mean to, and--"

"I said I wasn't hurt! I'm not hurt! How stupid are you that I have to say it so many times?! No wonder your brother abandoned you!"

They both froze as soon as the words left Catherine's mouth, and stared at each other, Sara in shock and Catherine trying to backpedal.

"Wait. No. I didn't mean that."

"You wanted a spanking? You got one," Sara growled, easily jerking Catherine over her lap and raising her dress.

"No no, I didn't mean to say that," Catherine pleaded, but she didn't struggle.

"You didn't mean to say it?" Sara asked, finally allowing her anger to break free. "How can you 'accidentally' say something so horrible?! Do you have any idea how devastating it was when my brother left me? Don't you ever, EVER mention my family again, do you hear me?!" she yelled. "Ever!"

Catherine was compliant across her lap, her arms wrapped around Sara's waist and her face buried in the brunette's hip. She was crying, though Sara hadn't touched her yet.

"Why are you crying?" Sara snapped. "I'm the one that should be crying!"

"I know, I know I know I'm sorry," Catherine apologized, squeezing Sara's waist tighter. "I never meant to say anything hurtful to you, it's just that--"

"Never meant to? You've been saying hurtful things to me all week, Catherine!" Sara shouted incredulously.

"I never meant to, I tried to bite my tongue but my heart is broken," Catherine cried, her words muffled against Sara's hip, but the brunette still heard them loud and clear.

She had broken the princess's heart. That was horrible. And she hadn't even known she was doing it. "I never knew how you felt."

"But you know now and you still don't want me."

"Catherine, it's not that I don't *want* you," Sara tried to explain, but Catherine interrupted her.

"You don't have to lie to me," the blonde said angrily.

Sara slipped her left arm around Catherine's waist and brought her right hand down firmly across the princess's backside. "I'm not lying," she continued, as she felt Catherine jerk slightly in surprise. Her hand fell again, and again, and Catherine still didn't struggle. "It's not that I don't want you," she tried again. "I think you're beautiful."

Again Catherine interrupted. "But I'm too spoiled for you, or too stupid, is that it?"

Sara spanked her several more times without speaking, and when she felt she had Catherine's attention, she said sternly, "you let me finish, or I'll have you cut a switch. Are you ready to listen?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry," Catherine said, turning her head to look up at Sara.

Sara looked down at her, into those teary blue eyes, and had to resist the urge to stroke her face... the urge to lean down and kiss her. "I think you're beautiful, *and* smart, and yes, I do think you're spoiled, but that has nothing to do with how I feel about you or why I can't give you what you want. I told you already, and I don't know why you don't believe me, but I can't do that to your father. How would you feel if someone you had been with was suddenly with your father?"

The princess's breathing was slightly labored, and Sara felt her squirm around a bit to get comfortable. "I wouldn't care."

Sara lowered her knickers and spanked her hard, not stopping until she heard a very alarming groan break from Catherine's throat. She halted her hand a few inches from Catherine's reddened backside, hoping against hope that the noise she'd just heard was not what it sounded like. "Catherine?" she asked.

"Don't stop," the princess said breathlessly.

"What?" Sara asked, eyes widening, jaw dropping slightly open.

Catherine seemed to realize that wasn't a good thing to say, because she quickly added, "I haven't learned my lesson yet..."

"I think I should stop," Sara whispered. Catherine's breathless plea was having quite an effect on her, and she didn't want to head into such dangerous territory.

"Please," Catherine nearly whined. "It barely hurts at all."

"Why do you want it to hurt?"

"Because I deserve it. I was horrible to you for no reason." She slid one hand up and down Sara's back, beneath her shirt. "I'm so sorry..."

Sara felt the softness of fingertips playing across her skin, and a shiver ran through her. It was wrong to be excited by Catherine's touch. Yet she found herself responding, and it was far beyond her control. "I don't want to have to keep whipping you to get an apology," she said quietly. "It stops meaning anything when you say you're sorry and then go right back to breaking me down. Don't apologize if you're not going to change the way you treat me."

"I am," Catherine whispered. "I want you so much."

Sara's heart skipped a beat and her face flushed, and she tugged Catherine's knickers back up, lowering her dress into place as well. "You should go back to the castle. They'll wonder where you've gotten off to."

Catherine slowly pushed to her feet, and sat on Sara's lap before she had a chance to stand up as well. "Please don't send me away."

"I'm not sending you away," Sara said, gently pushing Catherine off her lap, making sure the princess didn't fall, while standing up herself. "We're both going back."

"I don't want to go back."

"Then you may stay here by yourself, and I'll inform the guard where you are," Sara said, her brows furrowed slightly as she turned and started walking back to the castle.

"You can't leave me out here, I could be kidnapped again," Catherine pointed out, and Sara found it hard to keep walking.

"Then come back with me, you stubborn little princess," she said, shaking her head and making herself continue toward the castle. A few seconds later she heard footsteps and then Catherine was at her side.

They walked back in silence, and Sara saw the princess to her room before making her way to see Sam. She couldn't take much more of this without cracking.

"Sara, come in," Sam said with a smile, stepping back to allow her into his room.

Sara glanced around and then asked him, "actually, do you mind if we talk privately for a minute?"

"Lily's out and about, come in," he repeated, gesturing her in and then closing the door behind her. "What's wrong?"

Sara wrung her hands, anxiety filling her as she stood there in front of him, wondering how to put things, and finally she just blurted out, "Catherine is after me."

"I'm aware of that," Sam said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I mean *after* me, Sam."

His eyebrow lowered, his expression changing into a bit of a frown. "If you're not referring to her horrific behavior, then what exactly are you referring to?"

Sara took a deep breath, prepared to be tossed out the second story window. "After me as a lover."

"What?"

She didn't repeat herself, just stood and waited for the information to sink in.

As realization slowly dawned on him, Sam took a few steps backward to sit down, dropping his head into his hands. He was silent to the point Sara thought he'd fallen asleep, but finally he picked his head up and spoke. "I am unnerved by her choice to pursue a woman's affections," he said, passing a hand over his face, "but I can't think of anyone in this kingdom I'd rather have by her side than you, Sara. You have been loyal to me even in times of adversity, you are honorable and brave. You fight with more skill and courage than any man in my army."

Sara was prepared to defend herself, to tell him she had rejected Catherine's advances out of respect for him, but his words evaporated the need to do so. She was shocked, to say the least, almost unable to believe what she was hearing. It sounded like Sam was... agreeing to a courtship. She had to be hallucinating. Things like this just didn't happen. He was the king. He couldn't sanction homosexual activity. Especially not that of his own daughter. But... he was.

"How do you feel about my daughter?"

Eyes wide, Sara had to stop and think about how to answer that question. She cared for Catherine a great deal, that was certain. She wasn't sure what to say, but Sam deserved complete honesty. "Sometimes I want to strangle her, Sam, and sometimes I want to hold her. I always care for her and want her to be safe and happy. And lately, as she has made her feelings known to me, I have entertained the possibility of what it would be like to have her. I just never thought it could happen. I have been rejecting her advances because of my history with you."

Sam grinned at the mention of strangling Catherine, and he stood up when Sara finished speaking. "It is a concern, that you have shared my bed in the past. However, you are not currently sharing my bed, nor shall you be in the future, am I correct?"

"Yes," Sara said with a small snort of laughter. "Seeing as how you are married and we were never in love with each other, I would have to say that you are correct."

"Could you one day love my daughter?"

If she allowed herself to see the truth of it, she knew she could fall in love with Catherine. Their relationship had always been strained at best and downright devastating at worst, but there had never been a question of her loyalty to Catherine or her love for the princess despite the daggers between them. It had always been a platonic love, but even now, before anything intimate had happened between them, Sara knew that there was potential for more. "I love her already, Sam, I always have. But I believe that I could one day be in love with her, yes."

Sam took a deep breath, then let it out slowly and nodded. "Then the two of you have my blessing."


	3. Chapter 3

Butterflies were madly fluttering around Sara's stomach as she knocked on Catherine's door, a boquet of freshly picked flowers clutched tightly in one hand. She'd detoured through the garden on her way from Sam's room.

Catherine answered the door in her nightgown, obviously ready for bed. "Sara? What are you doing h-- what are those?"

Sara cleared her throat and held out the flowers. "They're flowers. For, for you."

"I know they're flowers," Catherine laughed. "But why are you bringing me flowers? Who are they from? I don't want any suitors," she said, making a face.

Sara shook her head. "They're from me, Catherine."

"What?" the princess looked up at her with wide blue eyes, reaching out to take the flowers. "But-- you said--" She was shaking, tears filling her eyes. "Don't joke with me, please," she whispered.

"I would never," Sara said, stepping closer to Catherine and reaching out to place trembling hands on the princess's waist. "I spoke to your father, and he gave us his blessing. If you'll still have me, that is."

"Of course I will," Catherine breathed, her tears spilling over as she threw her arms around Sara's neck and squeezed.

A flood of relief that she hadn't missed her chance washed over Sara, and she returned the embrace, hugging Catherine tightly.

Suddenly Catherine stiffened and pulled back, her eyes going wide with alarm. "Don't go to fight... I know something's going on, everyone's been getting ready for some kind of battle but my father won't tell me anything. Don't go Sara, please..."

"I have to go, Princess," Sara said softly, wishing she didn't have to deny the heartfelt request. "I don't know when we're leaving, but I have to go when we move out."

"But something could happen to you."

Sara had never heard the princess's voice sound so small and scared. She pulled Catherine back into an embrace, kissing the top of her head. "That's a chance we all take every day, and I fight because I believe in your father, I believe in what he stands for, and if we don't fight, our way of life can be taken away from us. We have to fight, to reserve our freedom, and I have to fight, because I believe in that."

"But--"

"It's not up for debate," Sara interrupted her firmly. "Can we please just have a nice evening together?"

Catherine seemed like she was going to argue, but finally pulled back instead, though she was still pouting. "What do you want to do?"

Oh good, it wouldn't have to turn into a battle of wills. That was always a possibility with Catherine. "I want to take you for a walk, and sit down with you and discuss some rules, if we're going to be spending more time together."

"I hate rules," Catherine said with a sigh, reaching out to put her hands on Sara's waist, still holding the flowers. "Can't we do something more fun our first night together?"

"I'm sure that what you have in mind is entirely inappropriate," Sara said knowingly, giving Catherine a look. "Why don't you put the flowers in some water and then we'll go?"

"You think I'm going to wear this out of my room?" Catherine said with a grin, shaking her head, and she turned to go get a glass and fill it with water.

Sara chuckled to herself and folded her hands in front of her, standing primly by the door as she waited for the princess to get ready.

Catherine started to undress and Sara cleared her throat. "Catherine," she warned, shaking her head. She was determined to take this slowly no matter how hard the princess pushed.

Catherine sighed like a child and moved to choose an evening dress from her wardrobe, then went into the washroom to change.

--

"There are a few things we need to decide," Sara said once they were down by the lake, the night lit only by the stars in the sky. She sat on the grass by the edge of the water and waited until Catherine sat with her to continue. "Do you want to make this common knowledge? Or would you like to wait and see if it works out first?"

"I should be insulted that you think it might not work out," Catherine said softly, but Sara could hear the teasing in her voice. "I want everyone to know," she then whispered, turning her body toward Sara, who refused to look at her. "Everyone."

"Are you sure? We're likely to have quite a few problems. I doubt many people will approve."

"I don't care if they approve," Catherine said sourly. "I want everyone to know. You tell my father to announce it tonight."

"Tomorrow," Sara said, shaking her head. "It's late tonight. Much too late to drag people to the courtyard. And don't you get in the habit of trying to tell me what to do, little princess..."

Catherine flushed, scooting closer to Sara until their hips touched, laying a hand on her thigh. "Yes Ma'am."

Sara shivered and quickly picked up Catherine's hand, holding it in both of her own, and brought it to her lips, kissing the princess's knuckles soflty. "Catherine," she said in warning, placing the princess's hand back where it came from.

Catherine leaned into her, whispering hotly into her ear. "I want you, Sara... so badly..." Her voice shook, and Sara could hear the raw neediness in it, but there was no way she could grant that request.

"I know," she breathed, getting to her feet before she lost her resolve. "But I have to do this right. I am not going to violate your body like this. I will escort you back to the castle now, and figure out how to proceed tomorrow morning."

Catherine huffed in frustration, refusing to get up, a pout firmly etched on her features. "I'm ready for you to violate me... I've been ready for years."

It was hard not to give in - her own body wanted it more than she'd care to admit. "Please stand," she said firmly, holding out her hand.

Catherine grabbed Sara's hand but instead of using it to help her rise, she jerked hard, pulling Sara back down to the grass. "I want you," she said again, moving her hands to the buttons of her dress.

Sara backed off and stood again, a frown creasing her brow. "That was unacceptable. Stand up, Catherine. Now."

"Who put you in charge?" Catherine retorted, but Sara did note that her fingers stopped fumbling with her buttons.

It was time to let the princess know exactly how things were going to be if they were together. She squatted down in front of Catherine, her eyes blazing with warmth and desire as she stared hard at the blonde beauty, staying silent for a few moments before responding. "You did. And unless you want me to cease all physical contact with you until our wedding night, then I suggest you stop pouting, stand up, and do as you're told."

Catherine's eyelids fluttered closed, then open again several times in a row before she swallowed slowly and nodded, getting to her feet after Sara. "Sorry," she whispered. "Will you carry me?"

"No," Sara said, almost laughing. "But I will hold your hand."

"Why do you have to be so traditional?" the princess sighed, slipping her hand into Sara's and entwining their fingers. "And so virtuous? Why can't you be a scoundrel and sweep me off my feet, drag me down to the river, miles away from everyone, and have your way with me?"

Sara's mouth twitched into a half smile and she tugged Catherine closer, undoing their hands to slide an arm around the princess's waist. "Because you want more from me than one night, don't you?"

Catherine didn't even need to think about her answer, she nodded immediately. "Yes, I want everything."

"And that is why I don't drag you off to have my way with you. I'm building a foundation first."

"We have years of foundation already..." Catherine tried.

"Not the kind I want," Sara stayed firm, squeezing Catherine's waist. "Now stop."

--

"What's going on?" Catherine asked, looking back and forth between Sara and her father at the breakfast table.

Sara knew that both she and Sam were being unusually quiet, and Catherine's question comfirmed that it was obvious to everyone else as well. She didn't want to say what she had to say next, but she steeled herself, swallowed what she was chewing, and looked over at the princess. Her princess. "We'll need to move out after breakfast. The threat is getting too near for our comfort."

"No!" Catherine demanded, her blue eyes widening as she stared back at Sara. "No, I won't let you!"

Sara quickly got up and moved to Catherine's seat, pulling her up and marching out of the room with her. She didn't want anyone to know about the change in their relationship yet. Not while she wouldn't be around to protect her princess if there were any problems. And with Catherine's reaction to the news she'd just given, some of the court might suspect something. "Catherine, you cannot behave that way in front of the court yet," she reminded the now crying princess, pulling her into a hug. "Shhhh, I'll be fine. We should only be gone a few days."

"You could get hurt. I've only just got you, I don't want to lose you," Catherine argued tearfully, squeezing Sara tight.

"You won't lose me, beautiful," Sara whispered, stroking Catherine's hair. "I need you to listen to me carefully now, because this is important, okay?"

Catherine managed to nod against Sara's chest, still squeezing her tightly.

"You can't let anyone know about our relationship. I know we were going to announce it this morning, but not while I won't be here to protect you. No one can know, not even the people you trust the most, all right?"

Catherine nodded again, and Sara put her at arm's length so they could look at each other.

"I need you to promise me," Sara said urgently.

"I promise," Catherine told her with a sniffle, wiping at her eyes and then staring at the floor.

"Good," Sara said, pulling her back in, and then she tilted Catherine's chin up so she could press her lips firmly to her princess's forehead.

Catherine's eyes closed and Sara felt her lean into the touch, and when Catherine opened her mouth to whisper, Sara couldn't deny the request. "Kiss me properly, Sara... Please."

Her stomach clenched tightly, a twist of nerves settling in deep and staying put as she looked down at Cat's beautiful face. Her now open blue eyes, sparkling with desire, her pale skin, her glossy lips... And she smelled like strawberries. She was going to kiss her, for the first time, right now. She knew it before Catherine had even finished asking. It was the right time.

She moved one shaking hand into Catherine's hair, curling her fingers around a fistful at the base of her neck, and Catherine's answering moan almost undid her completely. She couldn't believe how turned on she was, and they hadn't even kissed yet.

Sara stared into Catherine's eyes for what seemed like forever before she lowered her lips to her princess's, pressing them together, feeling a shock run through her at the contact. It was so intimate... much more so than kissing a man had ever been. And Catherine was _hers_. If there had been any doubt at all, it was erased with the way the blonde melted into the kiss, allowing Sara complete and utter control of her.

--

They were camped out, ready to sleep the night and press forward the next morning to meet the opposing forces head on, and Sara thought, not for the first time, about what Catherine may be doing. Was she in front of her vanity, brushing her hair before bed? Talking and laughing with a member of the court? She hoped... She didn't want her princess worrying and refusing to occupy herself.

If she imagined enough, she could still taste Catherine on her lips, and she held that with her as she drifted to sleep in front of the fire.

When she woke, it was to someone shaking her shoulder, and the sky was still dark. "What? What is it?" she asked, eyes wide, immediately on alert as she sat up and glanced around sharply. Owls were hooting all around her, interspersed with the call of a bird she couldn't recognize by sound. The person who'd woken her was Sam, and there were several others packing up their bedrolls and waking their comrades.

"Nothing, relax," he told her. "I think we should get moving before dawn, that's all."

"Oh. Right," Sara said, letting out a breath she'd been holding. "I'll be ready in five marks."

"You'd damn well better take good care of yourself out there," Sam said suddenly, his voice dropped low to avoid being overheard. "My daughter will have both our heads if you don't."

Sara grinned, nudging him with her elbow. "I can't have your beheading on my conscience, can I? I'll do my best."

"You always do."

--

The battle raged on far longer than anyone had anticipated - the opposition had many more forces than expected, but Sam's army was unmatched in skill, even when outnumbered, and things finally swung in their favor. Not before Sara saw Sam knocked from his horse, however, and she fell back, dismounting with incredible speed and surety borne of experience and determination, and was at his side before his enemy could land another blow.

She pulled her sword from the fallen soldier and fought off two more, then called for Rodrigo to cover her while she got Sam onto her horse.

"Go!" Rodrigo shouted, waving her back toward the castle. "Go! Get him to Sir Albert! Go!"

Sara swung up onto her horse behind Sam, giving one last glance to the battlefield before taking off at a gallop back toward home. She hated leaving before a fight was finished, but the outcome was clear enough that she could afford to fall back to get the king to safety and still be sure his army would prevail.


End file.
